


The Reasons for Buffy's Hair

by rhodrymavelyne



Category: Angel - Fandom, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:30:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4202817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhodrymavelyne/pseuds/rhodrymavelyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cordelia challenges, insults, and questions Buffy about the changes in five years for her hair. Buffy answers the questions with surprising seriousness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reasons for Buffy's Hair

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I've heard some of the reasons in the commentary for some of the major differences in Buffy's hair. I started thinking of some possible story reasons for the changes. Also, Cordelia popped in, because I never forgot her comment in 'Reptile Boy'...
> 
> "We're like sisters, Buffy, only with very different hair!"
> 
> Not that Cordy hasn't had some, ah, interesting hair experiences of her own...:)

“Buffy, what happened to your hair?” Cordelia asked. “It was never great, but over the years, it got worse and worse!”

Buffy smiled, refusing to let Cordelia’s comments get under her skin. “I washed the dye out and curled it, before starting school at Sunnydale High. I was trying for a fresh start, plus I was trying to convince my mom and all my potential teachers and classmates that I wasn’t a delinquent.”

“You failed there,” Cordy said pointedly. “Not to mention, you chopped it off and it was downhill after that.”

“I chopped it off, because I was trying to distance myself from what happened with the Master, with him drowning me,” Buffy said. She didn’t bother to smile anymore. “I needed a change to get away from that. Later that year, Angel lost his soul and I...had to deal with that. I needed a change, to try and well, deal with that.”

“So you did that awful dye job with the straight hair that makes you look skinnier than ever,” Cordelia said with her usual lack of tact. “I have to admit, your return to some body in your hair was an improvement.”

“That was in L.A., when I was trying to run away and forget Angel,” Buffy said with a shrug. “Plus, I was trying to hide.”

“Hence, new hair,” Cordelia said with a nod. “Although it was downhill from there, what with you growing it out all thick and straight.” She paused for a moment, before she smirked and nodded at Buffy. “Let me guess. Faith’s influence.”

“You got it,” Buffy said with a wry smile, but she wouldn’t meet Cordelia’s eyes. “It just kept getting longer and straighter the worse our relationship got. I went through my flattest state of hair, after I put her in a coma. Plus, college.”

“Right,” Cordelia said with an understanding nod. “College, dealing with change, so you need to go through yet another lame hair change to process things.”

“I can’t really argue with you about the lameness of my hair, when I started college.” Buffy looked embarrassed. “I tried out one perm, which was a disaster. After which, Faith took over my body and gave me another perm, which I was stuck with for a while.”

“Faith and bad hair seem to go together,” Cordelia said gravely. “Although her hair was never as bad as yours.”

“Thanks,” Buffy said with a sarcastic grin. “As soon as I could, I got rid of that perm. I had this dream, in which I found myself thinking about who and what I truly was, as a Slayer and as me. I decided I needed to return to my past a little. My hair reflected the change.”

“You cut it off?” Cordelia asked with her eyebrows raised.

“That’s your way of dealing with things, Cordy, not mine,” Buffy said, giving Cordelia a meaningful look. She paused to reconsider her words. “Well, not most of the time.”

“You didn’t cut it, then,” Cordelia said, looking almost disapproving.

“I let it return to a more natural color with more natural waves. It was a style I hadn’t touched, since the Master killed me.” Buffy sighed, looking nostalgic. “I felt a need to return to that style, as I searched for my origins.”

“What happened to change things?” Cordelia asked, raising her eyebrows. “A guy?”

“No, I died. Again.” The nostalgic look vanished from Buffy’s face. “Coming back from death was far worse the second time. I had a really hard time, trying to live. I cut my hair as a way of trying to be reborn, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Cordelia said, looking nostalgic herself. “I remember doing that.”

“Well, after I cut it, it grew out again. When I finally realized I needed to accept Dawn as a woman and stop over protecting her, I needed a change to symbolize the change in me.”

“Hence, the return of the hair dye,” Cordelia said with a sigh. “It was a big mistake.”

“Yeah,” Buffy said, echoing Cordelia's sigh. “I had Mom hair. I still shudder from the humiliation of being mistaken for Dawn’s mom.”

“You won’t be mistaken for anyone’s mom with that hair,” Cordelia said, looking with some disgust at the dyed red strands in Buffy’s hair. “What’s with that?”

“Well, there’s been a lot of changes,” Buffy said, looking defensive. “Besides, I miss Willow.”

“So, you show it in your hair,” Cordelia said with a sigh. “You really use changes in hair style to show your changes in general.” Cordelia paused, looked a little impressed. “That’s actually healthy, except your hair has never looked good.”

“Thanks, Cordy,” Buffy said drily. “It’s good to know death hasn’t changed you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Buffy blinked, as she opened her eyes. Sunlight filled a bedroom that was far from Sunnydale. 

“I’m not sure if that was a prophetic dream, or I just miss Cordelia,” she said to the wall. “I’m not sure if I want to find out which.”  
The wall didn’t answer.


End file.
